Festival plays host to canal society gathering
The canalside in Kidderminster will come
to life as the town holds its second Canal Festival on the
28th & 29th May. This year the festival
will be hosting the annual summer gathering of the Staffordshire
& Worcestershire Canal Society and there will be more than
twenty five boats of different shapes, sizes, and colours moored
along the canal.
The festivities will be centred on the canal
at Weavers Wharf and will feature a variety of entertainment. The
Dreamcatcher passenger barge will be offering visitors trips along
the canal towards Stourport-on-Severn along the picturesque canal,
passing through a lock on the way, before returning to
Kidderminster. The Scorpio working heritage boat will also be
moored up giving visitors the chance to learn more about the
industrial heritage of the canals.
There will be activities around the
canalside square located behind Debenhams. As well as being
the focus for the canal boats it will have bouncy
castles, face painting, charity games stalls, canal society
stalls, and a fairground organ.
There will be a range of music and
entertainment taking place around the canalside and Weavers Wharf,
including performances by local morris dancers. There will be live
performances over the weekend featuring bands playing a variety of
different music including jazz, folk, blues and traditional
Irish.
On Saturday evening there will also be a
special performance by popular local band Blind
Lemon at Kidderminster's Town Hall. This six-piece band
are renowned for their live performances and their unique reworking
of soul and R’n’B classics and legendary new wave, ska, pop
and rock hits.
The event has been organised by Wyre Forest
District Council and is part of the ReWyre Regeneration Initiative
which aims to improve the canal side areas in the town centre. The
festival is just a short-term step in revitalising the canal and
transforming it into a well-used, and much loved, feature of the
town.
Councillor John Campion, Leader of Wyre Forest
District Council said,
“Last years festival saw lots of people come
down to the canalside and we are eager to build on this success. We
are delighted that there will be so many boats attending and
bringing the canal to life.”
“Promoting the canal, and indeed the town, as
a visitor destination is an important economic opportunity for the
District. The canal is fantastic asset that we have not fully
utilised in the past and ReWyre aims to capitalise on this. We are
eager to continue to encourage boaters, locals and visitors to come
and enjoy this part of the canal network and to spend time in
Kidderminster.”
For more information on the festival and for
details of what is happening over the weekend visit our canal
festival webpages.
Photograph shows the canalside in Weaver's Wharf during last
year's festival.
Date of issue - 20th May 2011